A NEW PHASE IN THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE: HISTORIC SOLIDARITY FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF SHARED HERITAGE

On April 29, 2026, the “Strategic Cooperation Conference on Turkic Cultural Heritage”, held in Gaziantep, Türkiye, continued with its concluding sessions. On the third day of the event, national presentations by the participating member states were completed, and important decisions were adopted based on the outcomes of the conference.

At the opening of the day, Dr. Isabelle Anatole-Gabriel, Senior Lecturer at the École du Louvre, delivered an online address, emphasizing the importance of academic research in the protection of cultural property and in combating its illicit trafficking.

This was followed by presentations of national strategies on cultural heritage protection by Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Mr. Fahiddin Ruzikulov, Head of the Art Expertise Department of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan, shared his country’s experience.

From the Turkmenistan delegation, Ms. Kakilik Ovezberdiyeva, Deputy Director of the Arkadag City Museum of History and Local Lore; Mr. Yusup Orazlyyev, Senior Inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; and Mr. Seyitmyrat Seyitmyradov, Customs Officer at the Ashgabat City Customs Administration, delivered presentations on national policies and customs control mechanisms.

During the concluding discussions following the session, all participating countries were given the opportunity to share their perspectives on the conference outcomes. One of the key highlights of the event was the adoption of an international declaration.

In the second half of the day, attention was given to the role of laboratories in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property. In this session, presentations were delivered by Ms. Ayşe Ebru Çorbacı, representative of the Gaziantep Regional Directorate for Restoration and Conservation Laboratories, and Ms. Elina Altynbekova, Coordinator of the Turkic Restoration and Conservation Laboratories Network under the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.

At the conclusion of the conference, the participating states adopted the historic “Gaziantep Declaration.” Within the framework of the Declaration, the Turkic states agreed to demonstrate solidarity in safeguarding their shared cultural heritage and to strengthen digital transformation, capacity building, and inter-institutional coordination in the fight against illicit trafficking.